


Study Break

by chaineddove



Category: Hikaru no Go
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-05
Updated: 2012-03-05
Packaged: 2017-11-01 04:27:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/351929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaineddove/pseuds/chaineddove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mitani and Akari attempt to study for high school entrance exams, but Akari is distracted.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Study Break

Their knees touch under the kotatsu. Her face is flushed though the room is comfortably cool and he is studiously bent over his notebook so his bangs hide his face. She takes a sip of cold tea to calm her nerves and stares at the suddenly incomprehensible boxy English words on the page in front of her. When the book offers no revelations, she turns her head to stare out the window into the darkness instead.

There has not been snow yet this year but she hopes they’ll get lucky. She wonders if she will ever be bold enough to ask him to come look at the lights with her. She doesn’t dare ask, just in case he says no – if she’s _really_ lucky, Kaneko might think of it and herd them all out together as a club activity. Then again, she might not; it’s nearly exam time and she is trying for an ambitious school. Akari will be happy just to move comfortably on to the neighborhood high school, particularly because she knows the boy sitting just a bit too close will be attending. Perhaps next winter, when things are less hectic.

Daydreaming, she shifts her weight just a fraction and feels him stiffen when he notices. Oh, she knew this was too forward, she _knew_ this was a bad idea, she should have never listened to Kaneko…

“Ah,” she says, desperately casting about for an excuse. “I’m, um. I wanted to ask, Mitani-kun, do you know what this kanji is?”

He looks at her and she wonders if she is turning as red as he is. It clashes terribly with his hair but she will probably find it endearing when she gets over being embarrassed. “Oh,” he says. “Oh, sure, yeah, here, let me-”

He leans forward to get her textbook, she tries to lean out of his way, and somehow their foreheads collide. She squeaks with pain and shock and he says a word she is pretty sure her mother would not approve of. “Are you okay?” he asks almost frantically.

“I’m fine,” she replies, hand over her eyes, wishing she could somehow cover her burning ears as well. She really is going to stop listening to Kaneko one of these days.

“Let me see,” he insists, grabbing her wrist and pulling it aside to reveal her face. She sits there, hopelessly red as he touches the sore spot on her forehead with surprisingly gentle fingers. “You’re such a klutz,” he tells her, and it sounds almost fond.

“I’m sorry,” she says automatically, even though it was kind of his fault. His hand is on her face and she doesn’t really know what else she can possibly say without sounding like a complete idiot.

“Anyway,” he says, “the kanji. It’s, um… this is an English book, Fujisaki.”

“Oh,” she says dumbly. “I, uh. I guess it is.” She gives a truly pathetic little laugh, which does nothing to alleviate the pressure. “I should probably study harder if I can’t tell the difference.”

He gives her a bewildered look and she really wishes she could look down at her lap or something. They sit like that for a few seconds, eye to eye, his hand on her forehead, turning progressively redder, and just as she thinks that she might say or do something profoundly stupid, there is a knock on the door. “Akari! Mitani-kun! I’ve brought tea and cakes!”

They spring apart as her mother opens the door, and nearly get tangled in their own words as they thank her effusively and assure her that they are studying _very_ hard. When the door closes behind her mother, Akari can’t stop herself from giggling in something like relief. After a moment, Mitani joins her.


End file.
